New Lease on Life
by Amika-Sanya
Summary: They're going to send a car accident"......."He needs a new life"........."I'll be with you the whole time.”
1. Another Chance

Chapter 1: Another Chance

Sora sighed as he stared up at the huge castle. He pulled the huge heavy jacket he wore closer to him as the snow falling threatened to bury him where he stood. He could hear carolers in the square practicing for their maiden voyage the next day. Sora looked around him and tried to think. Then he knew where to go. He trekked his way towards the bar on the other side of the square, closer to the castle-turned-hotel.

Stepping inside the Radiant Garden Pub and Grille, mostly pub this time of the season, Sora saw his target. Riku Miyano, aged 23, male. His silver hair made him stick out in the dark bar. Sora smiled softly walking to the bar and taking the empty seat near Riku. He could feel the man's eyes on him as sat down, but he didn't let the apparent glare upset him.

Riku Miyano could be described in a number of ways. He was an annoying, self-centered, scrooge. A previous model, he had all the money he could ever want or need, and he used it to his advantage in his social life. The fact that he technically owned half the bar probably worked in his favor as well.

"Never seen you around here" Sora jumped at the words spoken to him. Riku was supposed to not talk that much.

"I'm new in town. Came here from Traverse."

"Oh, that's that old town about 50 miles from here right?"

"Yeah"

"So what you doing in town?"

"Looking for someone."

"Oh, what's his name? Maybe I know him."

"It's a girl actually."

"Then I defiantly know her, the question is if I'll remember her face" Sora rolled his eyes. Figured he would say something like that. Not only was Riku one of the richest in town, he was also the most promiscuous. Apparently, he had already slept with every resident woman in Hollow Bastion between the ages of 16 and 30. Rumors even said he had slept with some younger then 16. They even said he had a few guys under his belt as well, a fact that was not making the already nervous Sora feel any better.

"I'm looking for a girl by the name of Namine." Sora said. That opened up the rage in Riku. What did this mysterious stranger want with his sister, who every guy in town knew better then to even look at?

"What the hell do you want with my sister?!" Within seconds Sora found himself pressed against the wall with the man's hands at his neck. Sora didn't even get a chance to respond to the question, because he had no breath with which to use to answer. He felt his eyes closing and the room getting dark. The last thing he saw was Riku's hand coming away from his neck, then felt the hard wood floor against his body.

* * *

He woke up to the sound of a beeping, like a heart monitor. He attempted to breath, and realized that they had his hooked up onto one of those machines that breathed for you. He moved to take the machine away from his mouth and breathed in deeply. He looked confused when he saw Riku looking at him through the window that looked into the hospital room. He sighed and smiled softly, then a familiar blonde headed girl ran into the room. Namine.

"Sora. So I see you have been sent here."

Namine was not really Namine. Months ago a young woman's spirit had shown up at the gates of heaven, quite upset. She didn't want to leave her brother alone on the planet, but she did not want to leave this afterlife. So a young spirit, who had been waiting for reincarnation, was asked to take over Namine's body. The spirits name was Alana.

"Hello Alana." Sora said with a smile. "Do you like it here?"

"Oh very much."

"Have you been training Riku? It would make my job so much easier if you were"

"Sorry, no I haven't been able to. He's the same person he was when I first got here."

"Well, I'm here for two reasons. The first was to tell you that it's time Namine's body passed. They're going to send a car accident to give you an excuse to leave. And second, they plan for Riku to be in the car too"

"Why?"

"He's going to be given a new chance at life."

"What do you mean?"

"He needs a new life. He's done to much wrong is this one" Sora said. "I was told to find you and warn you, and get him to change if I can. But, I think it's supposed to happen now" he said with a sigh. "You should go. I hear the streets are wild this time of night, don't wanna get stuck in traffic" he said gently.

"I'll see you in heaven Sora. We can finish where we left off then."

"As soon as I'm done with Riku"

* * *

The streets were indeed wild this time of night. It was close to Christmas, so the roads were icy, and the alcohol in Riku's system didn't do much to help. Even if he wasn't drunk, it still wouldn't have helped. The accident was written in stone, and it would stay that way. Both in the car were to die. It was to happen, for you can't change destiny. Namine's body was to die, and Alana's spirit was to go back to heaven. Riku's body would launch into a coma, his soul sent to heaven where he would run into the boy from the bar.

So here stood Sora at the pearly gates. He sighed staring out at the steps down to the ground, where he saw a crowd of people. He was not interested in these people though, he was waiting for a familiar silver head. Here came Alana, her truly bright red hair shining in the light as she walked up to the gates. Sora smiled letting her back in, then took care of the large crowd trying to get in. Checking every name on the large list of those who were to die today. If the name was on the list they were let in, if not they were thrown off the cloud where they would land at the stairway to hell, where they either chose to live as a ghost or go to hell.

But, there he saw it. A confused as heck Riku walking up the steps following a small child who clutched a teddy bear to her chest. Sora smiled letting the little girl in and then closing the gate looking at Riku.

"Who are you?" Riku asked staring at Sora.

"My name is Sora. I was given the task to watch you. I am standing here to tell you something. You are not going in here" he said pointing behind him to the gates. "You will not be going back to your life either, nor to hell." Riku looked confused and then spoke.

"What have I done wrong?"

"You haven't done anything wrong, but we want to give you a chance to do it better." Sora said with a sigh. He walked forward and put his hand on Riku's shoulder, and his other hand went over the previous model's eyes. Sora closed his eyes and two huge white wings sprouted from his back. There was a rush of hair around them, and Riku blacked out. The last thing he heard was Sora's voice whispering in his ear, a calming sound. "I'll be with you the whole time."

* * *

**_Oh! What will happen next? Any ideas? None? Oh well, Sora, why don't you do the honors of closing this chapter?_**

**_Sora: Okay! So, Amika-Sanya does not own Kingdom Hearts as much as she wants to. _**

**_Me: And the idea is obviously not very original either. I've read a lot of guardian angel fics, and one of them actually gave me this idea, though I can't remember which, or what it was about. All I know is I was reading, and then I got this idea a long time ago. I'm picking up the idea now and writing. I'll be busy lately, so you'll better kick my ass and make me write this! Especially you khfujoshigirl98! _**


	2. The Beginning

Chapter 2: The Beginning

* * *

Sora smiled softly standing on the snowy hills outside of Traverse. The sleepy town was starting to awaken to a snowy Christmas Eve. He watched from a distance as a vague silver head walked towards the town, while a more clear version slept soundly in Sora's arms. This was the place where it had all turned wrong, but that wasn't the point of being here. For the vague shape was nothing but a memory.

Riku stirred and Sora started to move towards the town. While he walked he started to disappear and mix with the surroundings. Riku continued to stir awake, and when he finally awoke they were standing in the First District. Sora smiled setting Riku down.

"Where are we?" Riku asked.

"Traverse. There's someone living here I want you to see" Sora answered. He watched as Riku's eyes widened looking around him. He seem to see the vague shape in the distance that was running into the town, and seemed surprised that they were going in the same direction as the figure.

"Is that...me?"

"Sorta. It's a spiritual reincarnation. In other words an illusion. Only we can see it. It's a reincarnation of the past, but were still in the normal time stream"

"You lost me at sorta" Riku said and Sora laughed.

"Don't worry about it" he said. "Just follow it" Sora added. Riku sighed and nodded following his childhood self towards the Third District and the small house near the entrance through the Second District. Sora and Riku stood outside staring through the window at the empty house piled high with boxes. Riku seemed lost and then he smiled.

"My old home. It's vacant, can we go in?" Riku asked. Sora nodded, putting his hand on the doorknob. It glowed for a second before they went inside. Sora smiled gently. Suddenly they weren't in the vacant house, but a simple living room with a couch and a tv. In the corner was the Christmas tree with a couple presents under it. A calender on the wall said it was Christmas Eve, and the year on the calender was 16 years before. Riku seemed stunned looking around.

The door on the wall across from them opened and a young black haired woman carried in an older man, probably in his 40's. The man also had black hair, and the young Riku followed them, looking concerned. The older Riku looked at Sora and his eyes looked troubled.

"I thought you said we were in the usual time?"

"We were, when I said it"

"Your confusing, you know that?"

"So I've been told." Sora said with a laugh. "Now watch the story" he said. Riku sighed looking back at the younger version of himself. He had crawled up to the couch, sitting by it and holding the hand of the man who had been laid down there. "Who is he?" Sora asked.

"My foster dad. Me and Namine had to leave our parents when we were 5. I don't remember why though."

"What happens here?"

"He was deathly ill. The police will come soon and take me to Namine, where we'll both go to the Disney Castle Orphanage." he said.

"Did you love him?"

"Very much. He was the first man that was a parental figure to me. I don't remember my real dad very much" Riku watched the scene before him and then frowned as the clock tolled midnight. The room around them glowed and both Riku's screamed the mans name. The room stopped glowing, and then it was the vacant house again. Riku was kneeling on the ground, tears running from his eyes. Sora sighed kneeling down next to him and wrapping his arms around him.

"Perhaps we should go back a few years to see why you had to leave" Sora said. He smiled and held Riku tightly, his wings enveloping them both and Riku blacked out again.

* * *

This time when he woke up he was on the outskirts of Twilight Town. Riku looked around and smiled as Sora set him down again. In the distance he saw his childhood form again, this time younger. He was frowning as he beckoned him forward. Riku looked at Sora, who nodded, and he went after the form.

They were led to a house surrounded by a fence. When the young Riku opened up the fence and walked in he disappeared outta no where. Sora stepped forward to open the gate and the surroundings changed as they stepped forward. There was now a small garden in the corner which was unkempt, and the house was in dire need of fixing up. You could hear barking from the backyard that came from the many pit bulls the family used in dog fights. Sora frowned hearing them, knowing the majority of the dogs would be dead within a couple weeks from this time. Riku was staring at the house with a stunned look.

"Go ahead in" Sora said. Riku nodded walking forward, hearing a scream from a little girl and running for the door now. When they entered the house poor little Namine, only 4 years old, was on the ground surrounded by broken glass. Both boys watched as a little silver haired boy ran in to help his sister. Sora held onto Riku's trembling hand as he watched the scene. As they watched a man with long silver hair walked in, wiping a bit of blood off his hands with a rag as he came in.

"Riku? Namine? What happened in here?!" he demanded.

"I was cleaning like you told me too daddy, but I knocked over the glass vase." Namine whispered looking down with a frown, afraid to be reprimanded. The man looked ready to hit her, but he frowned then and looked at Riku.

"You clean this mess up, and you Namine go upstairs and wait for me" he said. The girl paled as she ran upstairs. The young boy set to work cleaning, and as he was working on it the doorbell rang. Everyone turned to look at the door as the silver haired man went to open it. A young woman stood there with the cops behind her. The woman had brilliant green eyes and brunette hair. Her bangs were hanging over her face, framing it, and the rest of her hair was up in a pink bow curling at her side. She wore a business suit with two shades of pink and a shade of white and tiny black high heels.

"Hello there Mr. Tarada. We need you to come down to the station for some questioning involving a report made by one of your child's teachers." one of the policemen spoke.

"Who are you?" the man asked staring at the woman.

"Aerith Gainsborough, Department of Children's Services." she said stepping inside. "Where are your children sir?" she asked. She looked around and noticed the glass on the floor and young Riku cleaning it up. "Riku, right? Come here" she said. He did and she smiled at him. "Where is your younger sister Riku?"

"Upstairs"

"Go get her" Young Riku nodded and ran up the stairs to get his sister. "Pack yourself some bags while your up there" she called to the stairs. The image disappeared before their eyes and they now stood outside the house, which was now in better shape.

"I remember now." Riku sighed. "My father was abusive, very abusive. My preschool teacher had her suspicions, and then when she got Namine she decided to make the report. Social Services took me and Namine from the house. We went to live in a group home. Then we got separated and lost in the system for a while. Thats when the man comes in, and then we went to the Disney Castle Orphanage for a while until we were sent to this really weird place. I think the people at the orphanage thought I was messed up, but I refused to leave Namine's side again." Riku said with a frown. He turned to Sora. "Please, lets not go anywhere else right now. I just, I need time to rest" he said. Sora nodded gently and reached to touch Riku's forehead, knocking him out as he did.

* * *

**So...another chapter down. I feel accomplished. **

**So, obviously I do not own Kingdom Hearts. If I did Riku and Sora would have been together for the entire game and I'd be incredibly rich.**

**Anyway! Read and Review! **


	3. You Want Insane

Yay! an update! It's short, but longer then what I was about to give you. Be glad I'm putting off my school work.

* * *

Chapter 3: You Want Insane

Sora smiled as he stared up at the sun. The light shone down directly on him as he looked down again at the man sleeping with his head on his knees. Sora smiled a bit and stretched out his wings happily as he ran a hand through the silver hair of the man. Riku stirred and Sora smiled softly as he watched him.

"It's time to wake up Riku. Open your eyes and greet the day while it is still fresh and new," he chuckled hearing Riku groan and watching him raise a hand to cover his eyes.

"Why is it so bright? Make the brightness go away," Sora chuckled at Riku's whine. He took Riku's hand away from his eyes, smiling down into those pools of aquamarine.

"I can't do that Riku. Anyway, now that your awake lets get up shall we?" Sora stood up slowly and stared at Riku who was still laying there lazily. Sora laughed a bit and leaned down to grab Riku's arm and force him up. The man whined again as he was lifted into the surprisingly strong angel's arms.

"I don't wanna go anywhere. I'm tired and cold and hungry and I just want to lay here and sleep where it's warm and comfortable. I wonder where the snow went." Riku curled up in Sora's arms and closed his eyes again. The angel chuckled and let him, sitting cross legged on the ground again. He held Riku like a mother would hold her child, close to his chest and with affectionate arms. The man was suddenly so fragile and weak, all because of the images from the day before. So Sora let him sleep for now.

* * *

When Riku awoke again he was still in Sora's arms. The angel had fallen backwards onto the soft grass of the meadow they were in, his arms around Riku's waist. Riku had woken up on top of him and quickly rolled off of him so he didn't hurt him. So now Riku was sitting next to the sleeping angel, tracing circles on the boy's palm. Riku wouldn't lie, he found the angel adorable now that he was staring at his sleeping face.

Sora let out a moan in his sleep. Perhaps it was from a dream, or maybe it was from the circles Riku was tracing on his palm. Riku didn't know but something about the sound was unnerving so he stopped the movements of his fingers. Something about an angel moaning just didn't sound right to Riku. He reached out slowly to shake Sora's shoulder.

"Ah, Riku, your awake." Sora smiled and stood up while brushing his clothes off. He turned to smile brightly at Riku. He grabbed the mans hand and laughed a bit. "Lets go get something to eat" he said with a laugh as his stomach grumbled. Sora led Riku out of the meadow with a smile and they crossed a small mountain pass into a small traditional oriental village.

"Where are we?"

"We're near the theme park, Land of The Dragons. The people get paid by the theme park to live in homes that look traditional."

"Oh" Riku sighed as Sora continued to drag him through the street and towards the largest building in the village. When they walked in Riku realized it was an inn and he could smell the food cooking in the attached restaurant. His mouth watered at the smell and he pulled on Sora's arm like a little kid as he went towards the smell. Sora laughed and let Riku pull him towards the doorway the smell was coming from. Sora smiled and then waved to the black haired woman behind the counter when he walked in, pulling Riku over to a seat by the window. The woman walked over to them and Sora smiled a bit.

"Hello Mulan. Tell me dear, any new gossip I should know?" Sora asked with a smile. He chuckled when the woman shook her head. Sora sighed a bit and pouted. "Oh well. I'll have my usual, Riku as well." Sora smiled and turned to Riku as Mulan walked off. "You'll enjoy the food here a lot. It's all very good" he said with a childish smile. Riku couldn't help but to smile back.

As they sat in that small and comfortable room and the warmth from the nearby fireplace filled the room Riku felt something. He felt an admiration for the smiling brunette sitting in front of him. He listened to the brunette's voice, letting the angelic tone fill him. For once in that place, he was happy. A smile graced his face. A true smile, an honest smile, not the facade he usually wore. He was happy.

* * *

Riku stared silently at the sleeping brunette as he listened to the TV in the background. He couldn't remember how he had gotten in this room, in a hotel, miles away from the little village he had closed his eyes in last. It must have been the angel again. Riku ran a hand through his silver hair as he turned to the TV. With a sigh he reached across the angel to grab the TV remote. With a sideways glance at the sleeping angel he turned back to the TV and curiously flipped towards the pay-per-view channels. His eyes widened as he quickly shut off the TV.

"He said it would blow over quickly. He lied to me" he muttered to himself as he stared at the black TV screen. He pulled his legs to his chest and rest his head on his knees, his eyes still locked on the black screen. He closed them with a look of denial. As the images rushed through his head he whimpered. He didn't want to remember that time.

Riku jumped when he felt a soft touch on his shoulder. He slowly opened his eyes to see himself face to face with concerned shining blue pools. Sora smiled at him softly, tiredly. Riku felt guilty for waking up the boy. Sora gave him a questioning look and Riku tried to smile.

"Something wrong. Why were you whimpering Riku?"

"It's nothing. Go back to sleep."

"You're lying. I can tell." Sora raised his hand and set it gently on Riku's cheek, watching the expression in Riku's deep eyes. Riku shuddered at the warm touch. It was a level of affection he was not used to from anyone. Those eyes were so familiar though, he felt a tear trailing down his cheek and it took him a minute to realize it was his. At the realization a few more tears fell.

"Look at me now. I can't remember the last time I cried." Riku moved to whip away his own tears as they sat there curled up on the hotel bed. Sora moved to carefully push the older looking boy down onto the bed. With a fluttering of sound Sora's wings appeared. He reached behind him and took a feather from his right wing and smiled at Riku. He gave the white feather to silver head with a smile.

"An angels feather holds the ability to calm and relax. Take a deep breath Riku and close your eyes. As long as your holding onto my feather it will do what it's supposed to, if you let it" he said with a smile as he moved off the bed. He disappeared through a doorway after pulling his wings back in. Riku sighed as he watched the brunette go before closing his eyes. He breathed deeply and clutched the feather to his chest, a warmth filled him and he smiled softly at the odd feeling. He could smell Sora, a combination of wildflowers and cinnamon and the vague smell of sage. It was an odd combination but it was a beautiful smell that filled Riku's every thought as he held the feather. He held it closely before carefully slipping the white feather into his pocket.

* * *

He felt the fear rushing into his heart as he stared at the large building. Beside him Sora shivered. The aura around this place never changed. The brunette pulled his jacket closer to him and Riku did the same. Where they really going to do this? Were they really going to go inside Castle Oblivion? Sora stared at the gate and turned to Riku, placing a gentle hand on the man's shoulder.

"Let's go Riku." Sora reached out and touched the handle on the gate. The handle glowed for a second before Sora opened the large gate. He beckoned out to Riku to walk in. The man shook his head with a look of worry and Sora sighed. "Don't worry. I'll be right here. It's nothing but memories. They can not hurt you." Riku sighed as he stepped forward while speaking.

"Your memories may not be able to hurt you, but mine could kill me"

* * *

So? What do you think? Standard disclaimers apply. Blah blah...reviews welcome! Anyway. Next update will be on Unredeemable Sin. Hopefully that will be up soon.


	4. Drowning in Memories

Chapter 4: Drowning in Memories

Riku watched as the children ran through the grounds of Castle Oblivion. He let out a snicker. So naive, they all were. They had no idea what was going to happen to them. Sora tugged on his arm and then pointed him towards a small group of children hiding in the shade of the castle. Riku saw the light shinning off blonde hair and he felt something in his throat catch. There he was. The bane of Riku's existence. Blonde hair and blue eyes so like the angel standing beside him. Riku suddenly gasped. That's why Sora's eyes seemed so familiar to him. Beside him Sora took Riku's hand and dragged him towards the group.

Riku looked at the young silver-head sitting Indian style on the ground with the blonde haired girl in her lap. He bit his lap when he remembered how happy he had been then. His eyes trailed to the blonde haired boy who was sitting across from them reading out loud. Young Namine clapped her hands happily and Riku couldn't help but smile.

A loud bell rang and the 3 children jumped. The young silver head looked up at the castle as all the children ran inside. He slowly stood up and watched as Namine walked off hand in hand with the blonde boy before he followed. You could see a look of disgust on the young boy's face as he stared at the boy with his sister. Riku grabbed onto Sora's arm tightly as they walked after the kids into the building.

The white blinded Riku as he walked into the building, beside him Sora seemed unfazed by the sudden blinding white. Riku shivered when they walked into a large hall, everything white but the oak tables and benches running up the hall. The children all filed in and silently took their seats along the benches. Riku noticed there were hundreds upon hundreds of children and he felt a sense of deja vu, as well as something that wasn't deja vu at the same time. It was an odd experience to know you should recognize something and you don't truly recognize it, yet you recognize it in a way anyway.

The children were silent as a group of people walked in at the far end of the hall. Riku and Sora looked up to meet the eyes of the graying old man and his companions, a hunched over balding man and a young man wearing a mask that hid his face. Riku shivered seeing the masked man, then his eyes widened. A scream welled up in his throat and he fought to keep it down. When the masked boy stepped forward Riku watched, knowing how the boy's eyes were glancing over every single child in that hall under that mask.

When Riku saw his younger self look up at the raised dais at the far end of the hall he gulped. That look, adoration. Sora grabbed onto the man's hand tightly. Riku was shaking as he watched his younger self smile when the food was carried in, the men on the dais separated and the masked boy walked down one of the aisles. He bended low to whisper to the young silveret and the boy blushed looking down at his food before nodding softly. Riku broke from Sora's grip as he stared at his younger self in disbelief and horror.

"Riku.." His voice was so soft, so frail. Riku turned to the brunette, a look of understanding in those eyes. He understood, he knew what would happen. Riku frowned as he let Sora wrap gentle arms around him.

"I was such an idiot! I didn't understand, I was still so young! Vanitas! He took it all away, everything I had left." The man didn't realize he was already reduced to tears at the thoughts of what that masked boy had done to him, no doubt to countless others. He felt the angel's arms tighten around him, comforting and protective.

Riku didn't know how much time passed when he stood in Sora's arms. One minute he was trying to hide his face from the truth, his memories, and the next Sora was gently shaking him and telling him they had to move again. Riku looked up when he heard the footsteps as every single child in the hall stood up and walked towards the large double doors to leave. His eyes found the silver hair of his younger self and he watched the boy be swiped away by that boy. Vanitas, the elder held a smirk on his now unmasked face, he could see his younger self laughing and he sighed closing his eyes. He could remember that. He had truly believed the teen loved him then. He could never have known at that time what Vanitas was up to.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~

The angel grunted to himself as Riku shifted in his sleep, biting his lip. In that small dormitory room there was one empty bed and it was horribly small, having been made to house a kid up to the age of 17. Just one, which is why Sora was currently leaned against the headboard and staring away from the sleeping bundle of silver hair that was literally on top of him. He tried not to think about the pressure against his thighs and the area in between, when Riku shifted again Sora tired not to moan at the friction it created. Apparently he didn't do so well at hiding it, Riku shifted once more at the noise. As if reacting to the noise Riku opened up his eyes slowly and then stared up curiously at Sora, his eyes dulled with the need for sleep.

"Your not asleep?"

"I don't really need to sleep" Sora admitted sheepishly. He blushed softly when Riku started laughing sleepily. "You should continue to rest Riku." The silveret nodded and closed his eyes, snuggling into Sora's neck with a smile. The angel sighed watching him before letting his eyes trail around the room and land on the sleeping form of the younger Riku in the bed beside theirs. He smiled just a bit at the sleeping form before turning back to the man in his arms.

Riku could never have known he would turn out to be a man like this. A man who was easily driven by his lusts. A man who would shut the whole world out if he had to, just to fulfill whatever selfish desire filled his head at that moment. He never could have none that one day where normal people would have a heart he would have nothing but a bottomless black hole. It was easy to fall in and get lost. He wasn't the perfect man, but nobody was perfect. He was a good man deep down and Sora knew it, he was just on the wrong path. This was the time when it had all gone wrong, when Riku had changed for the worse.

Sora watched as the young man, masked as he always was, crept into the room. He didn't waken Riku up, he simply watched as Vanitas made his way over to the bed where the young Riku lie. The man smirked and leaned over the bed, shaking the boy awake. He watched as the boy smiled brightly, wrapping his arms around the man. The young silveret smiled and went to pull off the man's mask and laughed tossing it quietly to the floor before going to kiss the man.

"I've got a surprise for you tonight Riku. A little friend of yours will be joining us" he said with a smile. As if on cue the young blonde moved over to stand beside Vanitas. Riku's eyes widened staring between the two of them before a smile burst onto his face and he bounded forward to grab Roxas's hand with a smile.

"Lets go play" he said cheerfully and together he and Roxas laughed like the little kids they were. Sora quickly shook Riku awake and hurried the half asleep man out the door after the giggling boys and the young boy that was once again masked. Before Riku was awake enough to complain about being woken up he comprehended the laughter and froze. He refused to move forward when Sora pulled him forward.

"No! I can't watch this happen!" Riku screamed, dropping to the floor suddenly. He crumbled into a ball and could do nothing to hold back his tears. Sora frowned staring at the scene before kneeling down beside Riku.

"Do this, and I can promise you we'll leave" he whispered. He held out his hand and smiled as Riku took it. They stood together and Sora smiled going to pull him along the hall after the still laughing boys.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~

The blonde's face reddened as he felt Riku's lips trail along the skin of his neck. His face continued to grow it's blush when he realized Vanitas was standing over them with _that_ camera. Riku didn't notice the camera, he was much to absorbed in his attentions to Roxas's neck and now shoulder. When Riku shifted a bit so that he was in a more comfortable position Roxas shuddered under him, a groan passing his lips. Riku chuckled as he pulled his lips from the blonde's neck. Over them Vanitas held a disappointed look on his face.

"You need more training blondie" Vanitas said with a sigh. He set the camera down on the table nearby, angled to catch everything. He pulled off his mask and smiled as he held out a hand for Riku. The boy eagerly took it and pulled himself off the floor with the young man's help. Vanitas smiled and pulled the eager boy into his arms, catching his lips easily. Roxas slowly stood up and bit his lip watching. Riku chuckled and smiled breaking from the kiss and leaning into Vanitas happily. Both pairs of eyes flew up to stare at Roxas. The blonde's eyes sparkled with something akin to desire. Vanitas smirked and pushed Riku to the side to take Roxas into his arms. The blonde smiled in triumph as he was kissed roughly, his eyes straying to the side towards Riku. They danced with such a smirk it was hard not to imagine the look on the the boy's face, a look of pure self-satisfaction. Riku stood there pouting as he watched.

Sora gripped tightly onto Riku, who was holding back a whimper as the rest of his memories flowed back into him. The silveret was staring in an equal mixture of horror and hatred. When Sora gave him that inquisitive look Riku frowned a bit.

"I was his favorite. For a couple years I lived at this place with no competition. During the day I was the bright shining face everyone knew, of all the children I was the only happy one here. At night I belonged to Vanitas. I was his favorite, and though there were other boys and girls sometimes, I knew he loved me the best. Then Roxas came here. The little blonde shot up quickly that one night, he captured Vanitas with that confident smirk of his. He was only 11 at the time, 3 years younger then I. Now that I think about it, Vanitas may have been bored of me by then. It doesn't matter, I pity Roxas now that I know what happens to him."

"Yet?"

"I will never forgive Roxas for that video. When I got out of here it set up my life for it's worst path ever."

"What video?"

"The one he filmed of Vanitas and I. There was an apparent leak and it ended up everywhere. It's amazing how much people enjoy scandals" Riku grumbled a bit. He gripped tightly to Sora's arm, going to pull him out of the room. Sora let him leave this time. It would do no good to force the man to watch this. Sora stopped them in the hall, wrapping a gentle hand around the boy's arm so he would relax. Riku felt himself blacking out again, and he decided he didn't mind so much this time.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~

When he woke up this time he was in Sora's arms. He slowly looked up to survey his surroundings. Sora's arms tightening around his slender frame when he began to shudder. The two men watched everything going on. They were curled up together in the corner of the room, as a bunch of busy men and women ran all over the place. Sora's eyes landed on the silver headed boy posed on the nearby one armed chaise lounge chair. A bit of red fabric was spread over the black leather chaise and settled in his lap. The boy's eyes stared towards the camera with a disinterested look, ignoring how every eye in the room had settled on his naked chest and legs.

Riku stood up from Sora's arms and walked silently towards the man behind the camera. Sora watched and held back a chuckle as he saw the anger passing through Riku's shining eyes. The older boy attacked the man behind the camera, frowning when he phased straight through the lanky redhead.

"Riku, it's useless. Why are you mad anyway? If it wasn't for Axel you wouldn't have everything you do today"

"If it wasn't for Axel I wouldn't be the person I am!" Riku screamed, turning his anger towards Sora. The angel didn't even flinch. He was used to this. This was his job, after all. Riku was reacting the way most people did. Sora stepped forward and took the man's hands gently. Riku frowned staring at how gently Sora's eyes were sparkling. "I'm sorry" he whispered softly. Sora simply smiled and turned his head to watch the scene going on. Of course he already knew it all.

They watched as Axel kept taking pictures, the others in the room carefully avoiding getting in the shot. The redhead kept making jokes, causing Riku to laugh every once in a while—guarded laughs but laughs nonetheless. The second the photo shoot was officially over, Riku tossed the fabric away from himself as one of the women tossed him a pair of pants. He dressed with a smile, going over to the camera once done. Axel simply smiled at him as he fiddled with the camera before packing it up.

"You'll show me the pictures tonight?" Riku asked with a smile.

"Course" Axel smirked as he leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to Riku's lips. The man smirked before walking away then, tying his silver hair up as he went. He ignored every eye on him as he walked over to a group of girls, instantly pulling one of them into his arms. "Hey! I thought I said hands off my sister!" Axel called after him. Riku simply smirked as he pulled the blushing girl out of the room. As he left Namine, who was one of the group of girls, rolled her eyes.

"I don't know how Kairi can put up with him" she said, smiling as Roxas walked into the room and over to her. "Rox, I'm glad your back. Have fun?"

"How could anyone have fun with Tidus and Wakka. God, they're horrible to model with" Roxas grumbled as he went to sit on the chaise. Axel chuckled.

"Riku was just naked on that" he said. Roxas jumped up with a disgusted look as the others laughed.

Sora glanced to see how the older Riku was reacting. The man just frowned as he stared at Roxas, looking ready to strangle the boy when he watched Roxas wrap his arms around Namine's shoulder. It would have been funny to Sora...if he didn't know that's exactly what Riku would do if given the chance.

"Lets get out of here" Sora suggested softly. Riku bit his lip and simply nodded. He let Sora wrap his arms around him silently and welcomed the darkness.


	5. Murderer in Limbo

**Chapter 5: Murderer in Limbo**

* * *

His eyes slowly opened, and the first thing he registered was the feeling of Sora's ultra soft hands running through his hair. The angel's hands stilled when Riku shifted to show he was awake. Riku's eyes opened up a bit more and he sat up slowly, looking around him. He was laid out on the same chaise lounge his other self had been on earlier. Sora was leaning over the edge with a bright smile as he looked down at Riku. Riku noticed then that the room wasn't empty. He saw himself sitting in the corner, a book in hand—only he wasn't moving. Roxas was standing nearby with Axel—neither of them moving either. Riku looked to Sora for an explanation, the angel just smiled and blinked and time started moving again. The two began to watch.

Axel was standing with his camera tripod, putting everything away. Roxas was chatting with him nearly silently, and every once in a while Riku would look up with an irritated look on his face. Then Axel's sister came over and dragged the redhead out with a smile, laughing about something having to do with their parents. Axel resigned himself to his fate as he waved to Roxas and Riku before being dragged out the door.

Roxas sighed as he went to finish packing up Axel's camera equipment for him. Riku closed his book with an audible thud as he stood up.

"Hey, Ri? Think you can give me a hand?" It wasn't much to ask...not really. Everybody knew about the fling between Riku and Axel and they knew that Riku would do anything to please his fiery redheaded lover.

"Don't call me that" Riku growled as he walked over. As he started helping he heard Roxas' cellphone go off, the personal ring tone he knew Roxas had set for when Namine called. He hissed under his breath.

"Hey hey! Yeah, Nam. Yeah, soon as I'm done. See ya tonight 'ine." Roxas said with a smile, going to hang up. The second the recognizable sound of the phone shutting off reached his ears Riku whirled around. Within seconds Roxas on the ground, and Riku was gone and out of the room. Roxas hadn't even know what hit him.

Back on the chaise Riku was shaking uncontrollably. Sora's arms were around him within seconds, trying to control the man's shaking. It didn't work. Riku was too lost in the memory of blood.

_The ring tone assaulted Riku's ears for the hundredth time that day. As he listened to Roxas talking to his sister, Riku couldn't help but to remember the conversation he had overheard earlier between the blonde and Axel. There was no way Riku was going to let him anywhere near Namine after that. He could feel himself slipping out the pocketknife he always kept on him, he hadn't made the decision to do __**it **__though. When the phone clicked off he moved without thinking. The knife dug itself straight into the blonde's stomach, blood pouring out onto Riku's hands. He gasped, dropping the knife and running out of the room quickly. His own heart was pounding in his ears, covering up the sounds of Roxas' pained screams for help. He stopped in the hall, hesitated, considered going back, but ran on. Namine hadn't known he was still there just now on the phone, if he claimed to have left right after Axel he could get away with it. He'd keep a low profile after this, and he knew he'd be okay. Nobody would suspect him... _

"Riku! Riku, calm down!"

"I killed him! I killed him!" Riku screamed, half to himself. Sora tightened his arms around Riku, continuing to try and relax the man. Roxas was on the floor, still screaming for help. It had to have been 5 minutes already. According to the time of death the detectives had come up with—well, would come up with—Riku knew Roxas would be crying out like this for at least another 10 minutes. Then he heard it. The screams stopped and Roxas was crying as he continued to bleed out, too injured to even move.

"Why, why you bastard?" It was pitiful, his voice. He sounded so upset, yet Riku realized the voice was somewhat affectionate. How could Roxas be speaking affectionately after that? Riku raised his hand to cover his mouth when he heard the next words out of the blonde's mouth. "I loved you, you bastard. How did you never realize?" Riku frowned as tears leaked from his eyes. Never, never before, had anyone ever said those 3 words to him and meant it so much as Roxas obviously did.

"Why did you show me this, Sora?" Riku whispered with a frown. Sora sighed a bit as his arms tightened even more around the silveret.

"They said I didn't have to, but I thought you deserved to know. Riku, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Can we go?"

"No, actually. There's one more thing you need to see."

Sora looked up and the clock, and Riku watched as it sped up a few minutes. He turned his eyes to Roxas still on the floor, seeing his hand was moving. He watched, as the boy slowly spelled out words in his own blood on the floor by his head. 'Protect Riku'. Roxas' eyes closed then, at about the same time the door to the studio opened and Namine came in with a concerned look. The lights had been flipped off so she didn't notice Roxas on the ground. She called out his name a few times before finding the light switch. A gasp passed through her lips as she saw Roxas, but her eyes landed on the message. She read it quickly, took a pic on her cell, and then disappeared into the bathroom, coming out with a few paper towels. She erased the message quickly, a frown on her face as she avoided looking at Roxas' face. She took her cellphone back out and pressed the speed-dial number for Axel.

"Ax, we have a problem. I don't care how busy you are! You need to come back to the studio! No you idiot your precious equipment is fine! If you must know, Roxas is dead." A pause and then Namine sighed as she answered whatever question Axel had asked with a simple but forced 'yeah'. "I'll go ahead and call the cops. Hurry over here. Make sure you act shocked. No you can not bring Kairi"

Barely 10 minutes passed before Axel came in. He was shocked by everything he saw. His eyes landed on the knife on the floor. He sighed and moved to the bathroom, pulling on some surgical gloves he kept in there. He came back out and went to pick up the knife, wiping the handle with a paper towel to remove Riku's fingerprints. Namine was meanwhile cleaning the camera equipment of blood before Axel had a fit when he noticed it. The cops came in a few minutes later, immediately removing them both from the crime scene.

"Axel, do you think we got everything?" Namine whispered in the corner of the room, pulling Axel to the side.

"Why are we doing this?" Axel asked. Namine quickly showed him the picture on her phone, then deleted it. "Call Riku. The cops are gonna need to talk to him. And don't worry 'ine, I'll be careful what I say to him and the cops both. We can't let on we know he did this. If we act suspicious the cops will pick up on it."

"Sound like you've done this before." Namine noted with a frown.

"I have, remember last year when that man named Vanitas was found killed? Lets just say Rox got away with it" Namine nodded silently as she got out her phone to call Riku.

"They knew?" Riku muttered under his breath. "They knew the whole time and they protected me." he whispered, his eyes widened. "Wait, Sora, if Roxas loved me then how co-"

"You should ask him yourself" Sora interrupted with a smile. Riku stared at him in confusion, before he saw a while light fill up the room. The white light enveloped the entire room, sucking everything up into it.

* * *

The light disappeared and Riku found himself standing in front of the gates. Sora was beside him, but he soon stepped forward to talk to the angel who was standing beside the gates with the book containing names of all those to be allowed into heaven. The angel looked over Riku quickly before nodding to Sora. The gates were opened and Sora went to take Riku's hand.

"What are we doing here?" Riku asked softly as he pulled through the gates.

"We're going to go see Roxas" Sora said with a smile. "And when your done talking to him, maybe I can arrange for you to see Namine" he said with a small smile. Riku nodded as he was dragged along the clouds by Sora, towards a small building. When he walked in Riku started coughing from all the smoke in the air. Sora simply waved a hand in front of his face like he was used to it and guided Sora towards a dark corner of the building. "This is the only place in heaven anyone is allowed to smoke, except for one other identical building all the way on the other side. Rox spends a lot of his time over here or at one of the bars. Ah, speak of the spirit, there he is" Sora said, pointing out a shape in the dark corner that was just putting out a cigarette. Riku froze when the boy looked up and saw him. Roxas' eyes widened and he stood up to walk over to Riku.

"Riku...you're here. Then that means you're..dead" he muttered, looking about ready to cry. Riku bit his lip as he watched the boy stumble forward and grab onto his shirt. A sob escaped into the air before Sora spoke up.

"He's not dead, Rox. He's in a coma" Sora said with a sigh. The blonde turned to him and frowned softly, going back to burying his head in Riku's shirt. Riku frowned as he wrapped his arms around the upset boy.

"Riku...I..I.."

"You don't have to say it" Riku whispered softly. Roxas looked up softly at him and put on a gentle smile as he stood up on his tiptoes to kiss the boy gently. Riku sighed as he pulled away softly.

"Riku...I, I've waited so long to do that!"

"You make it sound like it's the first time"

"Ri, do you know about Vanitas?"

"Yeah. How did you get away with that?" Roxas chuckled and smiled softly. He shook his head, it didn't matter. He soon pulled away and smiled.

"I'm glad you're not dead yet" he said with a smile. He could smile, he knew Riku would return soon. "You be good and listen to Sora. Here's a little tip too, when he makes you meet God don't look into his eyes. They don't appreciate that" Roxas said. Riku smiled and nodded a bit, laughing as Sora went to drag him off. He was brought to a smaller building not far from there. Sora led him to the back and to a small bed.

"This is limbo. You'll be staying here for a day or two. The way things work around here is simple: those who's fate is yet to be decided have to wait here after their stroll along memory lane until God decides to have a meeting with them to decide whether to allow them to stay, or in your case if you'll be allowed to live any longer. However He is busy, so you'll have to stay here. You are not allowed to leave this building. Now, I'm gonna see if I can pull some strings so you can see Namine." With that Sora left. A few minutes later Rox walked into the building with a smile and over to where Riku was.

"Ri, there's something I need to tell you" Roxas said as he went to sit on the edge of the bed. Riku watched him curiously. Roxas sighed and smiled at him softly. "I love you, but I'm not the only one. When the decision was made concerning you Sora fought to get the opportunity to be the one in charge. They were gonna send me." He sighed a bit. "Sora was originally a person too. He died of a rare sickness a few years ago, but not before he fell in love with you as a model." He took a deep breath and frowned. "I lost hope, after I died I mean. I knew I would see you again one day, I mean I killed somebody and made it up here so what would prevent them from letting you in too, but I didn't want to get my hopes up again. So when Sora came to me to ask that I give him the chance to meet you, I didn't resist. I let him. I figured seeing me wasn't gonna help you anyway" Roxas whispered, looking ready to cry again. Riku frowned as he went to hug the poor boy. He was still only 17, Riku could tell, the same age he had killed him. He frowned and went to kiss Roxas' forehead softly. "Please don't do that. Don't raise my hopes" Riku sighed as he spoke.

"You're right. I shouldn't kiss you. Rox, I don't love you and I don't know why you do"

"Why? Because Ri, even after everything they did to you at Castle Oblivion you were still this bright boy who faced everyday with a large smile. When you left with Namine you joined Axel's new company, and I was able to see you in some form or another. I saw new sides to you in those pictures, a more deep and brooding side—a side I knew you had but I had never seen. I fell in even deeper love when I saw those pictures. Then when I was allowed to leave I called Nam to come get me, and she brought you with her. You were as sexy in person as in those pictures, and I was so flustered. I mean, I had never figured myself gay so these thoughts of you in my head freaked me out. I latched on Namine and hoped you wouldn't notice how much my eyes strayed from her to you. I never thought you would kill me because I was with Namine." Roxas sighed as he moved to step away from the bed. "Hey, I just want you to be happy Riku. And if you being happy means you don't end up with either me or Sora, well then I guess we both have to suck it up. Can I ask you one thing though?"

"Shoot"

"Did you honestly think you would be able to get away with my murder?"

"I wasn't thinking at the time. But then when I started to think about it I realized nobody would even suspect me. There were huge gaps between us in both social and financial standings. You kept your relationship with Namine in private, so the media didn't bother you about it, so there would be no suspicion there. Our only known connection was Axel. While my affair with Axel was well known, to everybody outside of our circles your only connection to him was as a photographer who often worked with you. Unless one of the other models or photographers ratted out the truth about the connections you had to Axel or Namine, then I would have been fine. But nobody would have opposed me."

"You're still cocky, I see" Roxas said with a small smile.

"Hun, it's not considered being cocky when it's the truth."

Roxas chuckled a bit under his breath. "Listen, I have to go now. I'm not technically supposed to be here anyway."

"Will you come back?"

"I'll see" Roxas stood up and bit his lip as he turned towards the doorway. "I really think you should give Sora a chance. He knows your past and your history. He knows all the things you've done and everything that's messed you up in life. If he's still hanging around then he deserves a chance. Anybody who was still hanging around you after knowing all that deserves a chance." With those last words Roxas exited the building—leaving Riku there to stew in his own thoughts.


	6. Waking Up

Finally! This is the official final chapter to New Lease. So sorry for the long wait for every part of this story, but it's finally done!

* * *

Chapter 6: Waking Up

Riku awoke with a start as the door to the building was slammed close. He sat up and began to rub the sleep from his eyes as Sora stormed over to his side. What could possibly have the boy so riled up to wake Riku up at this hour?

"Wake up you idiot!"

"Give me a minute" Riku hissed as he stood up and stretched.

"You don't have a minute" Sora said, gaining Riku's attention. "You're scheduled to be in His chambers in a matter of 30 minutes and you have yet to take a shower and get ready." He looked Riku over and sighed with a shake of his head. He had his work cut out for him. He grabbed Riku's hand and dragged him towards the bathroom that was connected to the building. Riku stood there in alarm as Sora started fiddling with the shower and turned the water on. He turned around and frowned. "Well? Strip and get in" Sora said quickly. Then he blushed a bit and stumbled towards the door. "I'll just be waiting out here, hurry up though."

Riku walked out a few minutes later, pulling his hair back and tying it up with the rubber band around his wrist. Sora had given him a loose set of clothing to wear and he turned to smile softly at the angel. Sora took his hand then and pulled him out sharply. Riku sighed softly as he was pulled along towards the largest building he could see, a large castle with many golden and silver spires.

Sora stopped in front of the front door to the building. He turned to Riku and bit his lip softly, nervous.

"All I can say is, you need to be careful of what you say." Sora said softly. "I can't go any farther with you. It's forbidden for the lesser angels like myself to enter. You'll be guided by one of the guards." He took a deep breath. "While they say it doesn't matter what you do at this point, it so totally does. He's made his mind up, but it can be changed based on your behavior. Please be careful what you say and do. Promise me."

"I promise." Riku said with a sigh. Sora pouted a bit before shaking his head.

"Alright. Go ahead. Good luck." Sora said. He smiled up at Riku before standing on his tiptoes and kissing Riku on the cheek. He then moved to whisper into Riku's ear. "You still have my feather?" Riku nodded and Sora frowned a bit. "Give it back. Just trust me." he said. Without waiting for a reply Sora reached into the pocket of Riku's jeans and pulled it out. "Now go."

Riku smiled down at him, running a quick hand through Sora's hair. "I'll be careful. Don't worry." he said before going to open the door. His eyes were immediately assaulted by white upon more white. He had assumed the inside of the building would be like an actual castle, like the ones Namine had used to draw and color in her coloring books. Nope. He was expecting an entrance hall, maybe a nice spiral staircase leading to a balcony, or maybe it would go the completely different route of being almost completely barren. Nope. The inside of the large castle was instead something situated right in the middle. It was comfortable and welcoming and yet it was so pristine it was unnerving. And for Riku, it was far too close to being like Castle Oblivion for comfort.

"Riku Miyano, male, age 23." Riku turned to glance sideways at the angel standing there. The woman gave him a gentle smile. "If you'll follow me" she said with a smile, gesturing towards a door at the end of the large hallway they were in. Riku nodded silently and went to follow her down the hallway. She opened the door and Riku glanced inside.

It was a small room, nothing in it but a door right across the hall. When Riku stepped inside the room the door behind him was closed by the angel. With nowhere else to go Riku took a deep breath before he reached to open the other door.

He was blinded by a flash of white light and instantly lost all consciousness.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

Riku came to to the odd feeling of not being able to move any part of his body. He was swimming in darkness and after a moment of lying there he realized it was because his eyes were closed but that he had no control over his own eyes and so could not open them. He could sense something sharing the general space around him, another person or two perhaps? Yes, he figured. That must be it. He fought, for what seemed to him to be another lifetime, to get any sort of bearing together. He then heard machines, like in a hospital. Upon listening to them more he heard a distinct pattern in the nearest of the buzzing, a heart beating. It was a heart monitor, so he figured he absolutely must be in a hospital.

He fought to move. Any part of him, anything. He could hear someone talking, sounding worried though he couldn't quite place the speaker or even whether it was a male or female. He wanted to scream out, to alert somebody that he was right here and that he was okay—sorta.

Finally he could get enough of his bearings to actually feel his body. Unfortunately a new more potent fear was rising in him now. What if this was his fate? To be destined to lay like this, not truly a part of the world and not truly a part of the afterlife? What if he stayed like this forever until whoever was put in charge of his estate either gave up hope and decided to pull the plug or else got greedy and was tired of worrying he might wake up? Wait? Who had he put in charge of his estate, he wondered. It had been Namine, hadn't it? But she was dead. Who was next? Oh yeah, Axel.

Axel! That was the voice, Riku realized. Now that he knew who was speaking he wondered if he would be able to understand what was being said. It sure did sound like the voice was getting louder, perhaps Axel was getting into an argument. But who would he be arguing with? A doctor, a nurse? Somebody on a phone, maybe? These were all possibilities that passed through Riku's head in a matter of seconds, though it felt to him like he'd dwelt on each thought for an hour at least.

When there was nothing concrete enough to really judge time by, that's the way the mind works after all.

He was already tired of this. He had to find a way out of this, of being a prisoner in this dark void, of being able to feel his body and yet not move it. Suddenly everything exploded in a vision of color and light and sound. He could hear somebody scream in alarm, he could suddenly see the bright light above him and count the tiles on the ceiling.

He had opened his eyes.

He would recover, and in the months to come the strange dream of the brunette angel would fade and all but vanish.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

Riku sat silently at the bar a few years later, holding on tightly to the glass of vodka in front of him. Another year gone by, another Christmas alone. Outside the snow was falling gently, but for some reason the sight had upset Riku the past few years and so he spent all the time inside.

And, he would never admit this, the dreams had been disturbing him once again. Every time he closed his eyes lately he would see that brilliant face, clouded over by fog so that all he could tell for sure was that the figure had brilliant blue eyes and an innocent smile.

The air in the bar was upset as someone walked in. Riku didn't turn around. He could hear the footsteps crossing the floor and walking towards him though. The stranger was obviously male, though young. Riku figured the stranger mustn't be much older than himself. The stranger came to a stop right behind Riku and then took a seat. Finally, Riku turned to look.

He was greeted with a familiar face smiling at him. The lights in the bar shone down on the brunette's snow speckled hair and he smiled softly at Riku. The silveret had the vague feeling he should know this strange kid who haunted his dreams. He saw the strange feather behind the boy's ear. It was very large, and pure white. It was flawless and even though it looked aged by the slight yellowing around the edge it was in perfect condition.

"Do I know you?" Riku asked.

"You did, once" the boy said, pulling the feather out from behind his ear. He set it down on the bar before walking off. Riku glanced sideways before reaching over to grab the strange feather. He figured his curiosity got the better of him.

His eyes widened as images flashed behind his eyes. He suddenly remembered everything.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

Riku stared silently at his image in the mirror. It was pissing him off. He shouldn't be here, shouldn't even be alive right now. He gripped tightly onto the sink, staring at the bottles of pills he had just ingested. Oh he knew this wasn't going to be pretty, but he didn't deserve the easy way out. He coughed loudly and when he looked into the sink he noticed blood. He seemed to sigh, though it was a happy sigh. Good. He continued to cough, each time coughing up more blood.

After an hour of painful coughing and, later, vomiting, Riku closed his eyes. He welcomed eternal sleep.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

Sora ran a gentle hand through Riku's silky hair. The man's eyes opened slowly, eyes flickering and glancing up to catch Sora's eyes. Sora smiled softly but then he frowned a bit. "Oh Riku, why did you do that?" he asked.

"I wanted to be with you," Riku answered.

Sora didn't know whether to call Riku sweet or an idiot. He settled for chuckling and bending down to kiss Riku gently.

"Am I alive?" Riku asked softly.

"No. And you're here with me, forever" Sora whispered with a smile.


End file.
